Rubbishy Cookery

  Who doesn’t love poutine? Ingredients: Note the power ingredient: You certainly don’t have to use authentic Québécois cheese curds, but then it’s not poutine. It’s what one university pub menu from my Alma mater called “fries with cheese and gravy”. Directions: I won’t lie: I’m taking a major shortcut here today using frozen fries, but they’re pretty darn good. I’ll do up some homemade fries in a future post. Also I’m cheating with the homemade gravy by copying from memory (from years, possibly decades, ago—so it may actually be quite different) a published gravy recipe from one of the famed Moosewood cookbooks, or so I think? First, pop those frozen fries into the oven. I’m making a single serving on a hot summer day, so I’m just using the toaster oven: And bake according to the bag’s directions until golden brown and crispy. Start making the Moosewood-plagiarized gravy by adding some canola oil to a saucepan and, when warm, add sliced fresh mushrooms: You’ve got it on medium-hi...

  This is my version of a beloved dish from another favourite long-gone restaurant from my youth, Young Lok in Toronto. Young Lok was a classic semi-authentic Szechuan Chinese restaurant, located in the Village by the Grange plaza near downtown Chinatown, and a family favourite all through the 1980s and 90s.  When Young Lok closed its doors, I thought I’d never have anything like their braised tofu (or as their menu called it, “bean curd”) in black bean sauce again, and I haven’t. But I think this version comes pretty close—thanks  to a special ingredient, without which this recipe would be a mere shadow of its aspirations. I’m going to split this recipe into two parts: the pre-cooking of the tofu, and the final braised dish. Part I: pre-cooking the tofu, or “bean curd”. Ingredients: Directions: First, pat dry and squeeze some moisture out of your firm tofu with a clean tea towel. Then slice the tofu into serving size cubes: Next, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper ...